Tanzila Potia and Vinod Rohra’s Cross-Cultural Wedding in Mumbai
US-based Tanzila married Vinod in a cross-cultural wedding across some of the best wedding venues in Mumbai. The couple tell us more about their wedding festivities here.
Our new series, ‘Featured Weddings’ brings you wonderful moments from weddings held at the finest venues across different cities. Here, we feature childhood sweethearts Tanzila and Vinod’s beautiful cross-cultural wedding celebrations, held across different venues in Mumbai.
Tanzila and Vinod were in the same school all the way till 10th grade but only met and became friends in college. In their decade of courtship however, between them, they’ve lived in six different cities and three countries. Finally,Tanzila, a physiotherapist, married Vinod, a software engineer in December 2014.They live in Boston, USA. For now.
They chose the best wedding venues across Mumbai. Tanzila elaborates, “We started with a Mughal “Daawat-e-Ishq” themed Mehndi and Sangeet ceremony held at Gallops Banquets at the Turf Club, Mumbai. It is the perfect venue for a pre-wedding function for a capacity of 200-250 guests. Its Mahalaxmi location is central for everyone and the ample parking facility makes it a venue of choice in a city like Mumbai. With the racecourse in the backdrop and under the lush lit up trees, this venue is ideal for events in Mumbai winters. We decided to have a themed photo booth at the event, with a flower-adorned trellis as the backdrop.”
Since it was a Mehndi, the couple handed out favors to all the women attending “A personalized box with an inscription about love from the holy Quran and incense for prayers,” Tanzila remembers. She makes special mention of Executive Chef, Yajush Malik, “He was extremely courteous and a pleasure to work with. He managed to add a modern twist to the food at Gallops while retaining its old charm and flavors (read baked jalebi cheesecake – star dish of the night!). He accommodated all our whims & fancies with a smile.” Chef Malik discussed the couples’ Mughal theme and drafted a personalized menu featuring their favourite dishes, some a reflection of their cross-cultural love story. Tanzila was also floored by the service, “The Gallops’ staff left no stone unturned to make it a splendid evening for everyone.”
The couple then went Mafioso for their Engagement and Cocktail party at Raheja Classic Club, Mumbai. Vinod grins, “We designed a mafia themed cake with the Godfather hat, gun, money, rose, the works. We had a themed photo booth here too with relevant props.” Tanzila knew that with all the other functions requiring traditional Indian wear, this was her chance to wear a gown like a Mafia bride. “I researched online, looked at the shops, but could only find indo-fusion anarkali type gowns,” she says, “But then I found Natasha Dalal, a young talented designer from New York School of Fashion She specializes in intricate embroidery with western silhouettes. She’s extremely talented and great to work with.”
The Engagement was followed by the wedding and reception at Hotel Sea Princess. Says Tanzila, “I have always been very keen on getting married in my mother’s wedding clothes. I spent about 5 months restoring the 30-year-old zardozi and transferring it to the new outfit. All the hard work was worth it. I got to live my childhood dream.”
The couple went on to host a Garden-themed reception at the First Enclosure, Turf Club, Mumbai. The couple hired Ajay Decorators who transformed the First Enclosure into a beautiful, al-fresco garden. “After listening to our ideas, they brought is all together perfectly. They retained the elegance and natural beauty of the venue, but enhanced it; a 100-foot walkway to enter, birdcages, the Tree of Life hand-painted onto a backdrop, candle-light to set the mood. There was a string quartet playing, a photo wall displaying memorable photos from the family and a vintage typewriter message board so guests could leave typed notes for us. They ensured every little element was just right! From the chair covers, to the lace tablecloths, the coat hangers or the textured cushion covers. Ajay Decorators were the magicians that help weave our beautiful wedding dream into a reality.”
The menu was incredible too. Tanzila recommends The Foodlink Team by Sanjay Vazirani who catered for the Reception at Turf Club,“Priya Khanna and her team were professional, creative and a pleasure to work with. She and her chefs managed to wow our 1000-odd Bohri guests who are all food connoisseurs in their own right. The food was finger licking good, and everything they set up was a visual treat.”
The entire wedding was planned and executed by the couple and individuals from both their families. Says Vinod, “We wanted to personalize the entire experience. Also, considering we are all hyper, Type A, detail obsessed individuals, deciding not to hire a wedding planner was the best decision we could have made. It took months of planning, ‘pinteresting’, meeting, discussing and delegating to execute one-of-a-kind functions that were well thought through and enjoyed by all.”
Right through the run up to the actual events, Tanzila and Vinod had the opportunity to interact with people “who not only made our vision their own but also added to our joy with their infectious enthusiasm and creativity. These specialists are our wedding vendors who were thorough professionals and understood the stress involved with planning a big fat Indian wedding and we had a memorable experience with all of them,” they say.
The Wedding Makers
Makeup Artist- For all the events, I looked perfect thanks to ace Mumbai-based make-up artist, Devika Heroor. I’m a typical Mumbai girl, I don’t know much about make-up and I don’t pancake myself on a daily basis so my biggest fear was that I’d look over-done on the most memorable days of my life. Devika managed to give me strikingly different looks for every event. She is amazingly skilled, patient and ensured I was comfortable at every stage of the process. Also, bridal make-up can get boring since you spend hours with your MUA but Devika’s fun personality and comforting presence was an absolute pleasure.
Photos courtesy- Disha Art Productions
